The invention relates to a circuit arrangement for operating two or more lamps in parallel, equipped with
an equalizer transformer comprising a main core of magnetizable material around which a first winding and a second winding are provided, the first and second winding each comprising a number of turns substantially equal to N, said first and second winding during operation being connected in series with respective lamps, PA1 inductive ballast means.
The invention also relates to an inductive component.
A circuit arrangement as mentioned in the first paragraph is known from EP 0766500-A1. The known circuit arrangement is widely used for supplying low-pressure mercury discharge lamps. In the known circuit arrangement the equalizer transformer fulfils two functions. First of all, during ignition, after the first lamp has ignited, the equalizer transformer makes sure that the voltage over the lamp that has not yet ignited is high enough to realize the ignition of that lamp. In the second place, during steady state operation the equalizer transformer makes sure that the currents flowing through the lamps are substantially equal. The inductive ballast means is normally formed by a single choke that is in series with both lamps. The function of the inductive ballast means is to limit the current flowing through the lamps. A disadvantage of the known circuit arrangement is that the total number of components comprised in the circuit arrangement is comparatively high so that it is relatively complicated and therefore expensive to manufacture the circuit arrangement.